Entwined
by Chains of Entanglement
Summary: Two worlds collide on a daily basis. They are the world of tainted and the world of the good. And they will always be entwined with each other because life is not ruled by fairness and justice. A series of different stories about the lives of those affect


**Entwined  
**Two worlds collide on a daily basis. They are the world of tainted and the world of the good. And they will always be entwined with each other because life is not ruled by fairness and justice. A series of different stories about the lives of those affected by cruel shinobi world. Various characters are used in various stories.

ONE

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Was this to be the rest of this life? Was this what this life would end up amounting to? Being a bringer of death for the innocent? If that was the case, this was not what he signed up for when he accepted the position of captain in the undertaker squad. He was the one in charge of the three man cell in exterminating traitors. Those good for nothing shinobi with no loyalty had to be disposed of one way or another. Dismemberment of the bodies was his specialty. It was dirty work, but it had to done. For the village's sake, he kept the long guarded secrets and the refinement in the shinobi of the village secret, but foremost, to protect the village. That was his job. 

He would've been flattered enough just knowing that that they thought that he was a physically and mentally strong enough shinobi for the position. But being promoted there filled him with a pride he hadn't felt since he had been promoted to jounin at the tender age of seventeen. He could finally say that he was one of the best shinobi in the village. He could walk down the street and receive looks of awe and admiration from people, just for his presence. Yet, when he walked down the streets, there was another look that he received. It was a peculiar look that he got from some of the older shinobi. At first, he didn't understand, but thought not of it because of his pride. But it should have been a sign for him, the moment he saw that look in their eyes.

It was only now, in this moment, after serving several years as captain of his undertake squad cell, that he finally understood the look. They had been giving him a look of pity. It was pity because they knew what his job would end up being. The duty of being a bringer of death had fallen on his shoulders. Not only did he destroy the existence of rogue shinobi, but he was now one that the loved ones of undertaker squad shinobi feared most.

As he prepared the words to say, he imagined her. How would she react? Would she cry, would she laugh or would she do nothing at all? Experience told him to expect anything, for grief showed itself in a number of different ways.

Once at the door, he knocked at the door of the apartment belonging to Katori Aya. A slim young woman opened the door with a smile. But taking one glance at her visitor, that smile soon faded.

"Takahashi-san." she said softly while opening the door wider. Her eyes quickly shifted to the ground. "Please come in."

Takahashi Kazou gave a curt bow and walked through the doorway that Aya left open for him. Aya quickly retreated into the kitchen to prepare tea for her visitor.

"Please make yourself comfortable." Aya told him from the inside kitchen. The opening and shutting of cabinets was heard; then the sound of glass colliding with the ground was also heard. Sweeping quickly followed.

"Is everything alright in there?" Kazou asked into the kitchen as he proceeded into the apartment after taking off his shoes.

"Y-yes. Please don't worry about it." Aya replied back.

Kazou continued towards the small sofa in the front room of the small apartment. And as he went into the room, he glanced around and took notice of a picture of Aya and another man smiling happily together. His eyes rested on the image of the man. Before he could let the memories flood back, he noticed Aya beginning to enter the room with a tray with a teapot and two cups placed upon it.

He then took a seat at the sofa beside him and waited for Aya to finish pouring the tea she had set on the table. When she finished, she nodded and urged him to drink some. He proceeded to take a sip of the hot tea and placed it gently back on the table. And he slowly began the well rehearsed line.

"Katori-san, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but there's something important I must tell-"

"He's dead isn't he?" Aya interrupted in a quiet voice.

Kazou nodded. 'They always seem to know.' Kazou thought darkly to himself.

And in that moment, it felt like time had stopped still. Aya sat there staring at her hands while Kazou watched her, waiting for her reaction. Then in an oddly high voice, she asked, "Did you get rid of him already? Did you….dispose of Satake?"

Kazou inwardly grimaced at the question. He hadn't been expected the question from her. He wouldn't have expected that question from anyone who just heard that their loved one had been killed on a mission. But the grimace came mainly from the memory. The last memory of him.

His trio had split up to dispose of a group of rogue shinobi. Satake had been hiding, waiting to ambush one of the shinobi, when he was ambushed by Zetsu of the organization, Akatsuki. Taking upon a new and much more powerful foe proved difficult for him. He fought hard against his new opponent, but Zetsu's strength soon overwhelmed him. Kazou had just arrived as Zetsu had delivered the final blow. He was too late for Satake. Not wanting Zetsu to devour Satake and his body's secrets, he attempted to recover Satake's body. But there was no avail for Kazou. There never seemed to be avail for Kazou these days. Satake was lost to Zetsu that day, body and soul.

"Hai." Kazou replied reluctantly. He wasn't about to tell her that it was Zetsu that disposed of Satake, not himself.

And in that instant, Aya's world was sent spinning. She shut her eyes and placed a thin hand over her closed eyes to steady herself. After a moment, she began again. "H-h-how did he…?"

Seeing the back of her hand, Kazou noticed a gash on her hand. Blood was slowly being released from the wound and ran down her hand. It was obvious that Aya took no notice of it while she was cleaning up the broken glass in the kitchen. As he watched a single drop of crimson blood fall onto her white skirt, he thought to himself of the dark symbolism in that ironic moment. 'The blood of the innocent will always be spilled.'

Then, in the gentlest voice he could muster, he replied, "An ambush from Akatsuki."

Aya nodded her head, understanding. She knew the risk of death Satake was taking everyday. She had believed that his strength would get him through all the long days and nights and bring him back to her. But her faith in his strength wouldn't bring him back, no matter what. Nobody's would. Satake was gone forever.

He then added, "You have my deepest condolences, Katori-san. And you should know that his desire to protect the village was the most admirable in all the shinobi I have come to know. He did his job well for the village. You should be proud of him."

But Kazou himself couldn't feel the pride that he had just told Aya she should feel. Satake was a good man, an admirable shinobi. The others had not bothered him as much as Satake. And something about Aya shook him up deep inside, unlike any of the other grieving loved ones.

Slightly recovered from the initial shock, Aya removed her hand from before her eyes. Her green eyes went straight to the eyes of her visitor, and for an instance, Kazou saw her despair. But as quickly as it came, the despair was gone and replaced with a blank unnerving look.

"Thank you for stopping by, Takahashi-san." she said in a firm voice, trying to gain control over herself again.

Taking the hint, Kazou began to walk towards the door. He opened the door to allow himself out, and then paused. "He was a good guy, Satake. Even, I don't understand why it had to be him, though I was trained not to care." And without glancing back at Aya, who had risen from her seat, he left. But once out, and in front of the closed door, he heard the sound of Aya crumpling to the floor, then a muffled wail.

'She's strong. She'll make it.' Kazou thought fiercely to himself as if to make himself believe the thought. But at the same time, he wished he was a lesser shinobi that was susceptible to human suffering. Then, leaving the position wouldn't be so hard. But he was a true shinobi, through and through. He couldn't let what had happened effect him. So he continued down the hallway that lead him back into the cruel world that let Yagi Satake die without a second thought.

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So yeahh. First story in awhile. I hope you liked it. I'll try to involve more Naruto characters and use them next time. Thanks for reading:  
Constructive criticism is welcome. 


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